Beloved of celebrities and footballers' wives, it has become an essential for those seeking the year-round sun-kissed look.

But St Tropez fake tan was yesterday under attack over an advertising campaign suggesting that using it makes you appear not just browner, but slimmer too.

The claim came in a video fronted by the normally pale-skinned Kelly Osbourne.

Airbrushed to within an inch of her life: Kelly Osbourne says she feels 10lb slimmer after using St Tropez in a campaign film for the product

In the advert, a bronzed Miss Osbourne, 25, said having a spray tan transformed her self-image.

'I looked healthy, I looked like 10lb skinnier, and it started to make me look at my body in a different way,' she said. 'It made me look at what looked better rather than what I didn't like, and I kind of got addicted.'

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Controversially, the campaign was endorsed by The Prince's Trust, which helps disadvantaged young people and for whom Miss Osbourne is an ambassador.

Yesterday the trust dropped its support after an outcry from a parents' group which argued the message was not appropriate for the charity.

Mixed messages: St Tropez was forced to remove the Prince's Trust logo from its promotional video

The concerns were raised by PinkStinks, a group set up by two mothers worried about the impact of marketing on girls. Abi Moore, who has two children under ten and set up the group with her twin Emma, said: 'I was gobsmacked. Self-esteem should be about who you are and what you've achieved.

'Telling impressionable young girls that having a spray tan and appearing on a reality TV show is the way to make yourself feel better is about as far off from my understanding of self-esteem as you can get.

Titled 'Self Esteem', the message seemed to be that being tanned and slim were crucial to feeling good about yourself.

'To have this sort of message endorsed by a highly respected charity seemed totally wrong.'

In a letter to Prince's Trust Mrs Moore asked that the charity cease all association with the campaign.

The letter was co-signed by psychologist Susie Orbach, as well as authors Ed Mayo and Sue Palmer, both authorities on the impact of consumer marketing on children.

The sisters received a reply from the Trust's chief executive, Martina Milburn, saying that after meeting St Tropez representatives, the charity was no longer backing the campaign.

The premium self-tan company, which is a favourite with celebrities, has been a corporate sponsor of The Prince's Trust for over two years. Miss Milburn added the St Tropez would still honour a commitment to donate £10 from each £45 product to the charity.

Miss Osbourne was approached by St Tropez while on the U.S. reality show Dancing With The Stars.

She said in the video, which has now been removed from the St Tropez website: 'Everybody [on the show] has to get a spray tan. I was really against it at first. It was against everything I believed in.

'Then I realised how ignorant I was being. They put a fluorescent pink and orange dress on me and I looked like Miss Piggy.

Transformation: Miss Osbourne (pictured in February, left, and right, in 2007) has lost three stone in the past two years

'But they said "get a spray tan", so I did and when I put the dress
back on I could not believe the transformation. It made sense.' St
Tropez's 'colour expert' then waxes lyrical about Miss Osbourne's
'amazing transformation of confidence and beauty'.

The Prince's Trust confirmed last night it was no longer supporting the
advert, adding: 'It was their campaign but Kelly was involved and she
mentioned us as she is an ambassador for the trust.'

Michelle Feeney, of St Tropez, said: 'We will continue to work with this brilliant charity to raise much-needed funds.'